“Hasta que hubiese despejado todas aquellas sierras”: Peligro, soledad y penitencia en el espacio serrano de Don Quijote

This article analyzes the diverse symbolisms of the Sierra Morena and their importance during the adventures that occur in chapters 11–30 of part one of Don Quijote, suggesting that it is necessary to recover the different meanings of the mountainous space from a long cultural tradition in order to explore how the characters of Don Quijote deal with multiple transgressive situations in the spaces of the sierra. Furthermore, this article proposes that all these transgressions seem to be supported by the cultural meanings of the landscapes through which the characters travel. In this way, the sierra is a place of danger, solitude, penance, and transgression. The mixture of the topoi as locus amoenus and locus horridus also allows for the parody of genres within this sentimental, chivalrous, and pastoral novel.